Strong Foundation

June 12, 2009 — Yeap Chee Seng

3 A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.
Proverbs 12:3 (NIV)

The above verse tells us that there are 2 ways to advance in our lives. We can rise either through righteousness or wickedness. This means both righteousness and wickedness can be used as the means for us to rise up from our circumstances. However, if we are to rely on wickedness, we will not be established in our achievements. In other words, any prosperity gained through wickedness will not last for long. You can still get rich using wicked ways but your riches will not stay very long with you. You will soon be poor again.

In contrast, any prosperity gain through righteousness is deeply rooted. This is why the righteous cannot be uprooted. When we choose to get rich through righteous means, our riches are permanent. Even if we are to lose all our riches in a bad mistake, our riches will come back very soon. Why? We, the righteous people of God cannot be uprooted.

Please note also that the above verse does not instruct us on which path we must take. This is the nature of our God. He does not treat us like mindless puppet to be ordered around. He respects us as individuals with our own thoughts. Being a Christian does not mean we lose our individuality.

When I was in my first church, I was given the impression that a good Christian is someone who deny his own desires and let God to run his life. If God wants you to go for mission, you must go for mission. If God wants you to be poor, you must be poor for his glory. If God wants you to be sick, you must be sick for his glory. This is supposed to be “denying yourself”. I could never achieve such level of “spirituality”. As for me, I will continue to live like an individual with independent mind. I am not a Borg and I have no intention to be assimilated into the collective.

If you read the Bible, you will find that God never treat his people as though they are mindless puppets. In the above verse, God never tells us that we cannot be wicked. He only tells us the end result of wickedness and righteousness. Our role here is to make our own decisions based on the facts given by God. So, if you want to be firmly established in your prosperity and can never be uprooted, then you should live your life in righteousness. Otherwise, you should make wickedness as a part of your life.

The above verse also established the foundation of our Christian lives. We have complete freedom to do what we want to do and think what we want to think. Through the death of Jesus at the Cross, the law carved on the stone is replaced by the law written in our hearts. The role of God in our lives is merely on guiding us by telling us the results of every action we take and every thought we think. God will never interfere with our decision. He has too much respect for us. Our role is to consider the end results God has revealed to us and decide what we want. Then we can take the action and think the thought that will bring forth that result.

For example, if you want to have a lot of money, find the verses on how to have a lot of money and do the recommended acts that bring forth the result of a lot of money. If you are sick and want to get healed, find the verses on healing and do the recommended acts that will bring forth healing. God will never force us to get rich and be healthy because he does not think we are idiots. He has a very high opinion on our intelligence and common sense.

This also means that you can choose to defy his opinion on you by choosing the opposite. Even then you can still use the Bible to help you. The Bible says greed will cause poverty. So, if you want to be poor, you must make greed a part of you. Live your life in greed. You will surely be poor.

In conclusion, our righteousness is a firm foundation for our lives from now to eternity. It is not an empty word. God expects us to use everything he has given to us through our righteousness for our prosperity.